The Stuff of Legend
by em305
Summary: Two Doctors...one Rose Set during and after THAT scene in 'Journey's End', so spoilers for that episode


After all that pain, all that destruction at the end of the universe, she was back here. As soon as she stepped out of the TARDIS, and onto the beach, she knew something wasn't right. Turning to look at the brown-suited Doctor, she felt tears prickling her eyes. She had struggled for so long, always determined to find him again, but nothing could be that simple. Listening to him speak, she knew that he was right, but that didn't make it easier. If this was the last time she would see him, the brown-suited him, then she needed to know. Rose had spent nearly four years wondering what he was going to say. So, here she stood, in the middle of the two of them. The brown-suited original Doctor on her right, and the blue-suited new Doctor on her left.

"Alright, both you, answer me this. When I last stood on this beach on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing you said to me?"

Both Doctors stared at her, but she was looking at the Doctor on her right.

"Go on, say it," Rose demanded.

"I said 'Rose Tyler'." he replied, swallowing back his tears.

"Yeah, and how was that sentence gonna end?" Rose prompted desperately.

"Does it need saying?" he asked her, hoping and needing her to realise what he was trying to say, but couldn't.

Rose turned to the other man.

"And you Doctor? What was the end of that sentence?"

The two Doctors made eye contact for just a second; both knowing what had to be done. The blue-suited Doctor leant down, and his breath tickled her ear. She heard him whisper those words. Rose gazed up at him and they shared look so intense that it made the on-looking Doctor crumble with envy. She grabbed onto the blue lapels of his jacket and pulled him halfway, before he met her the other half, their lips finally meeting. It was like everything had gone back to normal. She was kissing the Doctor and that was all that mattered.

The other Doctor, the one that she had known for so long, tore himself away from the pair of them and he swallowed hard before turning away, not looking back. The grinding of the TARDIS engines caused her to break away and run to where the TARDIS had just disappeared. No proper goodbye...nothing. Maybe that's better for all of them.

Rose felt her heart breaking all over again. This wasn't how she had imagined it to be. But then, everything with the Doctor always did turn out to be that little bit more complicated. She was standing in exactly the same place, watching him vanish from her life again. Last time, she had retained that tiny glimmer of hope that she might see him again, but this time, she knew that this was the end. The wind whipped through her hair, just like before, and tears streamed down her face. She made no attempt to brush them away.

Then, she felt a hand slip into hers and squeeze it gently. The hand was so very familiar; slightly cooler than a human's, and the long, thin fingers wrapped around her comfortingly. They just fitted exactly how it had always been.

Rose turned her head and looked at him. He smiled softly at her, nervous and a little apprehensive. Rose swallowed. He looked exactly the same. Eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Every freckle, every hair, every feature on his face was the same.

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

"I look at you, but all I see is him." She whispered, hating herself as the words came out of her mouth. It wasn't fair of her, and she felt like she didn't deserve either of them.

He looked downwards, a little hurt, but then said, "I know you do. That's because I am him."

Rose bit her lip and felt more tears fall.

"You still remember all the things we did, all the places we went to?"

"Every single moment." He replied. "I have the same mind, we think in the same way and our thoughts are shared."

Rose gave him a faint smile and gripped his hand even tighter, completely oblivious to her mother, who had began to walk away from them. Rose looked at the man in front of her with earnest.

"He... the other Doctor, said that you are him when I first met you. Is that right?"

"I think so. Maybe part of him feels guilty for creating me. You healed him after the war...now he's asking you to do it again."

Rose hesitated. "I can do that."

Rose thought she saw a trace of that beaming smile he always saved for her, but he waited for her to speak again. He could see that she wanted to say something.

"He... he couldn't say it, could he? Not after four years. Maybe he just didn't..." Rose was interrupted.

"No. He couldn't tell you because...because he, or I, was scared. Scared of hurting both of you, or both of us. He knew he couldn't stay and so saying it would have made it harder to leave. He let me say it for him...for both of us."

Rose stared up into those big dark eyes, like pools of melted chocolate, and saw that he was speaking the truth. He spoke again before she had a chance to.

"Don't hate him, Rose. It's not his fault."

Rose nodded. "I feel sorry for him. He's alone. Again."

"It's the way it was meant to be, Rose."

"It's just weird though. It's like you are him...you are identical, but not at the same time. I don't know. You aren't a copy of him at all, but you essentially...are still the Doctor. But you are more...human, I suppose." She said slowly, as if figuring it out in her own head. "You are the same person, but slightly different."

"Is different bad?" he asked her.

Rose tilted her head to the side, whilst mock-surveying him, with a small grin.

"Oh no, I don't think so. It's just something new. New new Doctor."

Simultaneously, they both reached for one another and pulled themselves into a tight embrace. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head deep into his shoulder and sighing with content as she felt his arms tighten around her body. He even smelt the same. They stood like that for a good minute or two. Jackie was slowly walking up the beach, giving her daughter and this Doctor some space, but when she turned around and saw her daughter with him, she smiled. This was what Rose deserved, and they both needed the other more than they'd ever know.

Pulling away, Rose beamed at him through her tears.

"My Doctor." She whispered

"Always." Was his reply, matching her smile. The smile that he had always reserved for Rose. The one that simply made her melt inside. "You know...I did mean what I said."

"I know."

They walked, hands clasped together, in the direction Jackie was sitting and waiting for them. A trail of two sets of footprints followed them in the sand. Those footprints would stay there forever, never getting washed or blown away.

"I'm sorry you don't have the TARDIS or your sonic screwdriver." Rose said.

The Doctor shrugged it off. "Nah, don't need them any more, do I? D'you remember what I said to you that day...about you can have the one adventure I can never have?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah."

"It's just that, well, now I can. You know, settle down, I suppose. I'm going to have windows and doors and carpets and a mortgage!"

"Doesn't that scare you? It used to. Remember the whole black hole planet thing?"

The Doctor used his free hand to scratch behind his ear; a characteristic that was common in both Doctors, Rose noted with a smile.

"Mmm. I wouldn't say _scare_, as much as excite me, really. It's this whole human thing that does it!" he exclaimed, laughing a little.

They continued walking in an amicable silence, just listening to the gently roll of waves and the wind whistling down the stretch of open land. Jackie greeted them as they approached her. She looked nervously at her daughter, as if silently checking that Rose and this Doctor were okay.

"So, is it him?" she asked shakily.

Rose looked up at the Doctor, standing tall next to her.

"Yes...he is the Doctor. Not exactly the same but by no means completely different either." She concluded.

Jackie blinked. "Okay then." She said slowly, before looking to the Doctor. "You will take care of her, won't you?"

Rose looked about to retort and rolled her eyes at her mother, who promptly ignored her.

"Yes, of course I will, Jackie." The Doctor told the woman sincerely.

Jackie seemed happy with this and turned, before looking back and adding, "I still call you 'the Doctor' right?"

Rose and the Doctor laughed. "Yes, you still call me 'the Doctor'! Because that's who I am...more or less."

"Good...because I don't think I could call you anything else!" Jackie looked at the two of them, with adoration. "Come on, then. Let's go home. Oh, Rose, I must ring your father and tell him everything..."

The Doctor and Rose grinned at each other before following Jackie, listening to her endless chatter, along the small path that led away from Dalig Ulv Stranden; Bad Wolf Bay.

In another universe, the TARDIS materialised onto the soft sand and the Doctor, clad in his usual brown pinstriped suit, stepped out. The wind ruffled his hair and he walked forward. The stretch of beach was completely deserted and the Doctor stared out across the calm sea, looking to the horizon, and watching the fire-red sun begin it's descent below the water. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes as the Norwegian ocean air refreshed his aching body. The Doctor was unaware of how long he stood there, but when he turned to leave, the light was fading fast and the chill had set in. Pushing open the blue wooden doors, the Doctor looked one last time along the sand and he saw two faint sets of footprints, close together, heading off into the distance. The Doctor nodded and smiled a small, sad smile.


End file.
